Improvement in self-adjusting book-racks



UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE ISAAC WALKER, OF BEMBROKE, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SELF-ADJUSTING BOCK-RACKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 153,227, dated July 21, 1874; application filed May 21, 1874.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, lsAAc WALKER, of Pembroke, Merrimack county, in the State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful Self-Adjusting Book-Rack; andI hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying' drawings, forming part of this specification.

The nature or essence of my invention consists in a pair of ways or slotted base, provided with one or more traversing clamps or stands, drawn against the books or things to be clamped by a spring.

Figure l is a plan of my improved self-adjusting book-rack; Fig. 2, is an elevation of one side, and Fig. 3 a cross-section on the line z Z. .i y i In the above-mentioned drawings, A r'A r.'lt'ref'I two ways, connected by the ends yB B', forming the base to which the other parts are fastened or connected. C C are movable stands, with bases D D fitted on and between the ways A A, so as to traverse freely, and are held in place by the plates E/E, fastened to the bottoms of the stands, whichy plates project into rabbets in the under sides of the ways A A. To draw the stands U C toward each other and clamp the books placed between them, I fasten cords F to each of them and to the grooved pulley G, which is fastened to the vertical shaft H, which turns in the bars or plates I I, fastened to the ways A A. To turn the shaft H and pulley Gr, aud wind the cords around the pulley to draw the stands toward each other, I fasten the inner end of the' coiled spring J to the shaft H, and the outer end to the w. ys A. The sash-lifts K K are fastened to the bases D D, to whichv the thumbs may be applied to draw the stands apart, and, when drawn apart, if one stand is held the other remains stationary, so that one hand can be used to place the booksA between the stands.

If preferred, one of the stands may be fastened to the end of the ways, and the shaft, pulley, and spring placed near the same end, and thus have only one stand to traverse to clamp the books. I contemplate my improvements may be applied to book-case and library shelves to great advantage.

I claim- In combination with the ways A A and sliding stands or jaws C C of a book-rack, the spring J, whereby the jaws C C are automatically drawn together when books or other articles are placed between them, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the stands or jaws C C, cords F F, pulley G, and spring J, substantially as specied.

ISAAC WALKER. Witnesses:

ALBERT H. YEAToN, JOHN R. KIMBALL. 

